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Perfect Writer:1.00:CDP OEM/Lesson/DOS.LRN
Text file with instruction how to use your COLUMBIA Computer. File content [] [] [] Learning to Use Your COLUMBIA Computer [] [] [] One of the major achievements of the twentieth century is the development of powerful personal computers that are versatile and extremely easy-to-use. Your Columbia Data Products (CDP) Multi- Personal Computer (MPC) is an example of this accomplishment. Although many people fear the computer as an extremely complex and sophisticated electronic device, you will find that in a very short time you will be accomplishing many procedures on your MPC such as: drafting, editing, and printing long documents with ease, performing complex calculations necessary for your business or profession, and creating mailing lists, and other valuable file management systems. go to the NEXT screen type: `Pg Dn' --the `Pg Dn' key is located with number 3 on the right side key pad. The `Disk Operating System' The disk operating system, called `MS-DOS' or 'DOS', is a special program which directs the internal operation of the computer. Like a very efficient switch-board operator, the disk operating system oversees many important functions: such as the allocation of internal memory, the storage and management of document files on your diskette, the 'running' of other software programs (e.g. Perfect Writer and Perfect Calc). To view the NEXT screen type: `Pg Dn' To view the PREVIOUS screen type: `Pg Up' these commands since they will no longer be repeated. WHAT THIS LESSON WILL DO This computer-based lesson will introduce you to the few commands which control the disk operating system (DOS) used on your MPC. Knowing these commands, you will be able to copy diskettes, delete and rename files, list the contents of diskettes, and much more. ................................................................. --> DOS lets you operate your computer! . ................................................................. WHAT DOES `DOS' LOOK LIKE? DOS is provided on a single diskette called the 'system diskette.' This diskette is used to `boot up' (or start-up) your computer. (In this lesson you will learn how to copy diskettes. AS SOON AS POSSIBLE you should make a copy of this DOS system diskette, thereafter using only the copy for your everyday working needs.) To begin using your computer you need to put the DOS system diskette into disk drive A (the disk drive on the left) and turn the power on. This process automatically loads DOS into your computer's memory. Loading DOS may take between 10 to 45 seconds, depending on how much memory your computer has. Once DOS is loaded you will be asked to enter the date. The following message will be displayed: Current date is Tue 1-01-1980 Enter new date:_ You will need to enter today`s date (mm-dd-yy), where: mm is a one- or two-digit number from 1 to 12 (for month), dd is a one- or two-digit number from 1 to 31 (for day), and yy is a two-digit number from 83 to 99 (for year). OR. . . you may type a carriage return, thereby accepting the date that DOS supplies. (However, this will prevent DOS from supplying the correct date to the disk directory and to other software programs which it would otherwise do.) NOTE: If you make a mistake, the system repeats the request. Also, if you enter numbers using the number key pad, remember to press the "Num Lock" key. This `frees' the number keys to produce numerals, and not the special command functions that are otherwise indicated. After you enter the date, you will be asked to enter the time: Current time is 0:00:18.30 Enter new time: You may enter the current time (hh:mm:ss:xx), where: hh is a one- or two-digit number from 0 to 23 representing hours (0 to 11 for 12:00am to 11:59am and 12 to 23 for 12:00pm to 11:59 pm), mm is a one- or two-digit number from 0-59 representing minutes, ss is a one- or two-digit number from 0-59 representing seconds, and xx is a one- or two-digit number from 0-99 representing hundredths of a second (this you will rarely use). OR. . . you may type a carriage return to accept the time which DOS presents. After you have entered the time, DOS will present the display: Copyright, 1982 Columbia Data A: This prompt indicates that DOS is now operating and that you are logged onto drive "A" of your computer system. DOS is ready to receive your commands. WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH DOS? There are only a few major DOS commands which you are likely to find helpful when first using your MPC. These are divided into "External" programs which are stored as separate files on the DOS system diskette, and "Internal" commands which are constantly present while DOS is running. ................................................................... . . .--> The "Internal" commands you should know are: . ___________________________________________________________________ . . . DIR Provides a DIRectory of files on a diskette. . . TYPE TYPEs the contents of a document file on the screen. . . DEL DELetes the file specified. . . RENAME RENAMEs the file specified. . ................................................................... .......................................................................... . . .--> The "External" programs you need to know are: . . . __________________________________________________________________________ . . . CHKDSK CHecKs the space available on a DiSKette. . . COPY Lets you COPY files on a diskette. . . FORMAT Lets you FORMAT a diskette. . . SYS Copies the internal "SYStem" to a specified diskette. . .......................................................................... You will now learn the procedures for executing each of these commands. The INTERNAL DOS COMMANDS ...................................................................... ______________________________________________________________________ DIR (DIRectory) What's on a diskette? To find out what files are on a diskette use the DIR command. This command causes the names of all files located on a diskette to be displayed. For example, the command: A:dir {Note: "" means press the Carriage Return key after typing the command} will produce a listing of all files on the diskette in drive A. For example: A:dir COMMAND COM 4959 5-07-82 12:00p PC COM 50560 5-26-83 6:56a PC OVL 16640 5-26-83 12:10a DOS LRN 23547 5-07-83 12:00p 4 File(s) To display the files on the diskette in drive B, you would specify the disk drive followed by a colon. If the MS-DOS diskette were on drive B: the directory would look like: A:dir b: COMMAND COM 4959 5-07-82 12:00p FORMAT COM 3816 5-07-82 12:00p CHKDSK COM 1720 5-07-82 12:00p SYS COM 605 5-07-82 12:00p 4 File(s) If you want to have the directory printed, give the command that `turns on' printing: `Ctrl--P'. Next, type: A:dir b: When the directory has been printed,`turn off' the printing mode by typing `Ctrl--N'. ................................................................. ----------------------------------------------------------------- `RUNNING' A PROGRAM To `run' a program in DOS you only need to type the filename of the command program (Note: the `COM' or `EXE' extension to the filenames in the directories indicate the files are "COMmand" or "EXEcutable" programs and can be run by typing their filenames without the "COM" or "EXE" extension). For example, the program you use first in working with Perfect Calc is "PC.COM". The command form is: A:pc That is, following the DOS command-prompt "A:", type "pc", followed by a carriage return. DOS transfers the Perfect Calc program into memory and surrenders system control to it. From this point you have left DOS and will be operating within Perfect Calc. When you quit Perfect Calc, system control is returned to DOS, which redisplays the `A:' prompt to the screen. ................................................................. ----------------------------------------------------------------- RENAME RENAME provides a quick and easy way of changing the name of a file. For example, suppose you want to change the name of the file "oldname.mss", which is located on the diskette in drive A, to "newname.mss," type: A:rename oldname.mss newname.mss ----------- ----------- ^ ^ (name to be replaced) (replacement) Note that in the above command the old original file name is followed by the new replacement file name, separated by a single blank space. Following a name change, only the new (or replacement) filename will appear on the disk directory. To change the name of a file located on the diskette in drive B, use the command form: A:rename b:oldname.mss b:newname.mss Note: the disk drive is specified for both filenames, using the prefix "b:". This format of attaching a letter prefix followed by a colon is used with all DOS commands. ................................................................. ----------------------------------------------------------------- DEL You will often want to free-up diskette space by deleting old, unwanted files. The DOS command to do this is DEL. For example, the command: A:del b:thisfile.mss causes "thisfile.mss" on the diskette in drive B to be deleted. You will want to use this command CAUTIOUSLY! DEL can also delete groups of files. For example, the command A:del *.mss causes all files on the diskette in drive A with names ending with the extension 'mss' to be deleted. The asterisk "*" is used as a `wild card' to represent every file name. Finally, to delete all files on a disk, use the command form: A:del *.* Before erasing all the files on the diskette, DOS will ask: Are you sure (Y/N)? DOS requests this confirmation to insure that you are aware ALL files on the diskette will be deleted. ................................................................. ----------------------------------------------------------------- TYPE (Display File) TYPE allows you to quickly inspect a document file on the screen without having to enter your text editor. For example, the command: A:type thisfile.mss causes the contents of "thisfile.mss", which is located on drive A, to be scrolled across the screen. To temporarily halt the scroll, type: CONTROL--S Hit any key to continue. To end the display, type: CONTROL--C ---------------------------------------------------------------------- `EXTERNAL' DOS COMMAND PROGRAMS ______________________________________________________________________ ...................................................................... CHKDSK (CHecK DiSK) Your computer has limited disk storage which you need to keep track of. In order to effectively organize and store programs and data you need to have complete information on how much file space is occupied on each diskette. The DOS command program that provides you with this information is "CHKDSK". The CHKDSK command displays the vital `statistics' of a diskette, that is, how much storage space has been allocated among the files, and how much free storage space remains on a given diskette. For example, the command: A:chkdsk causes DOS to examine the diskette in drive A and respond: 160256 bytes total disk space 8704 bytes in 2 hidden files 14336 bytes in 5 user files 137216 bytes available on disk 131072 bytes total memory 118672 bytes free indicating that 137,216 bytes of storage remain on the diskette in drive A. The five files listed in the directory occupy 14,336 bytes. Note: You will gradually become accustomed to interpreting such a figure into more useful terms. Since a single byte is capable of storing 1 character of information, the figure above (137,216 bytes) would be approximately equivalent to 75-80 pages of double-spaced type-written material (assuming 27 lines per page and 65 characters per line). The second set of information indicates total disk storage (i.e. 128K or 131,072 bytes). Of this total, 118,672 bytes are available for disk files (the remainder is allocated to the disk operating system itself). To examine a diskette on drive B, type: A:chkdsk b: DOS will respond with a similar message indicating the available space on disk drive B. ----------------------------------------------------------------- COPY (COPYing a File) COPY is the DOS external program used for copying individual files and programs from one location to another. To copy a file from one diskette to another, use the command form: A:copy a:thisfile.mss b: -------------- --- ^ ^ {source} {destination} NOTE: Disk drive `A' is the source and disk drive `B' is the destination. Also, the file name does not have to be repeated since it remains the same at its destination. Here, COPY is instructed to copy "thisfile.mss" from drive A to drive B. Filenames can be changed during copying, as in this command: A:copy a:thisfile.mss b:thatfile.mss Here, COPY copies "thisfile.mss" on drive A to drive B, simultaneously changing its name to "THATFILE.MSS". Two copies of the same file now exist, each with a different name. To COPY AN ENTIRE DISK, use the command form: A:copy a:*.* b: This will COPY every user file on drive A to the diskette on drive B, leaving the contents of drive A unchanged. Remember that the diskette on drive B will need to have been formatted. (Again, note the use of the '*' as a `wild card'.) When executing the COPY routine in this manner, it is best to use a blank formatted diskette as the destination, since there must be enough space to receive the material being transferred. ...................................................................... FORMAT (FORMATs a blank diskette) When you open a box of new diskettes the first thing you must do is to format the new diskettes so that they can be used on your computer. This is accomplished by entering the command: A:format b:/s The "/s" in the above command instructs DOS to transfer the DOS system files to the newly formatted diskette. DOS will respond with the message: Insert new diskette for drive B: and strike any key when ready. You insert a blank diskette in drive B and press any key. DOS will display a message to let you know it is `formatting....' When the formatting process is complete, you can format another diskette or exit the FORMAT utility and return to DOS. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ SYS (DOS SYStem copier) SYS is a special program used to copy DOS from one diskette to another. When making backup diskettes you may want to use SYS to insure that the resulting backup diskette can be used to start-up (or boot-up) your computer system. The command routine for SYS is as follows: A:sys b: This executes the SYS program and transfers the DOS internal system program to the diskette in drive B. When the program is finished, DOS will respond: "System transferred" ...................................................................... ______________________________________________________________________ LOG (or transfer to another drive) There will be times when you wish to `log', or switch, to another drive. To do this, type: A:b: DOS switches you to drive 'B', simultaneously changing the command-prompt to: B: To return to A, type: B:a: ................................................................. _____________________________________________________________________ ***** THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO USING MS-DOS ***** ©Copyright Perfect Software, Inc., 1983�